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It’s every thrifter’s dream to find something truly amazing in the donation racks. But a literal historical artifact—a chunk of fabric cut off a tent that served George Washington during the American Revolution, a tent that is currently held by the Smithsonian? Who expects to find that?!
Dana Moore purchased the linen scrap on Goodwill.com in 2022 and it currently is on loan to the Museum of the American Revolution in Philadelphia, Pa., as a part of its exhibit “Witness to Revolution: The Unlikely Travels of Washington’s Tent.” The piece apparently was cut off the dining tent in 1907, when it was exhibited at a celebration of Jamestown’s founding and on loan from a Washington descendant, CNN.com reported this summer.
The tent exhibit also shows Washington’s foldable army bed frame and other artifacts, including eight of the nine fragments of Washington’s tents known to exist. The temporary exhibit is up until Jan. 5, 2025, but the Museum of the American Revolution also features Washington’s sleeping and office tent on permanent display, which is about 23 by 14 feet. It was made in 1778 while troops were encamped at Valley Forge and was in use until 1783.Textile conservator Virginia Whelan put more than 500 hours of work into its conservation for the museum, such as using nearly invisible netting to stabilize holes. To patch other holes, the museum had a high-resolution photograph of the fabric’s weave digitally printed on polyester so that it could blend in and not be noticeable at a distance.
To display the war tent in the museum’s theater, structural engineering firm Keast & Hood designed an umbrella-like aluminum structure to support it. The structure works with a canvas membrane instead of tensioned ropes—those are for aesthetics only.
Also textile-related, the museum will have an exhibit of rare Revolutionary War flags April 19–Aug. 10, 2025.